Concord
by blacksunset1214
Summary: A collection of one-shots in no particular order; past, present, and future. Multiple pairings. Set in Awakening. Chapter One; Deliquesce, Lon'quxTharja


**Ah, welcome, welcome. This is my first Fire Emblem fic. I got Awakening about a month ago, and became completely obsessed with it. I originally planned for this to be a one-shot to be released on my two year-aversary, but you know, school and shit got in the way. Instead, I made it chapter one of a series of one-shots. This one focuses on the married life of a personal favorite; Lon'qu and Thara. Thoughts are in italics.**

* * *

They were not in love.

That was something they could both agree on. One year had passed since the end of the Plegia-Ylisse War. In that time, the Shepherds disbanded and returned to their homes. For Lon'qu, he returned to Regna Ferox with a special someone; his bride to be, Tharja.

_Bride to be_; those words sounded so joyous. They hinted at the wondrous ceremony that brought together man and woman in an eternal bond of love. Well, most of the time.

Their marriage was not for love, but for a different reason entirely; as a favor. Initially, she had offered to help him get rid of his gynophobia by use of a curse. He had agreed, only to back out once he learned that his childhood memories would be erased. Much to her dismay, of course. Apparently she spent quite a while gathering bat wings, which he was sure were still packed into a jar and shoved onto a high shelf.

Despite the affects that his past with Ke'ri had on him, the lessons he learned in his youth; living in the slums, being dirt poor. If they were erased from his memory, what kind of man would he become? He would be losing all of the experiences that shaped him into the man he is today. And so, he figured that the only solution was to be together all the time, without anybody getting the wrong ideas. Luckily for him, she had the same idea.

After their wedding, the two continued to practice dealing with his fear. First, they started out small by simply standing near each other. As time passed, they moved onto slight physical contact, which eventually became hand-holding. The latter was still a work-in-progress.

Now, it was early winter; one of the worst Lon'qu had ever been through. And for her first winter there, Tharja had not been taking it well. Since the start of the season, she'd become immobile, only getting out of bed when necessary.

_It's okay, though. This winter is especially harsh._ Lon'qu shivered slightly and fumbled with the lock on the door of his home. After getting it open he kicked off his boots and walked into his bedroom. From the bed, his wife's muffled voice greeted him as he hung his coat on a hook and kicked off his boots.

"Dinner's on the counter. How was training?" she asked. He could see her dark hair sticking out from under the many layers of blankets piled on their bed. But even with all the added warmth, she was still visibly shivering.

"Same old," he shrugged. He looked over to her again; it was the most vulnerable he'd ever seen her. "This woman," he mumbled. Though reluctant at first, he climbed into their bed and inched towards her. _I can do this, I can do this..._ With a shaky hand, he snaked an arm around her waist and drew her closer.

"What are you doing?"

"... You were shivering a lot. I reckoned you would be warmer, if possible, with body heat," He could feel his face turning beet red, and his hands continued to shake.

"I can take care of myself..."

"Let me help you this time. It's the least I could do."

"... Fine."

They lay there for a while in half-comfortable and half-awkward silence. Slowly, they both became more comfortable, and they both stopped shaking.

"... Thank you, for this. I'm proud of you, too. This is a big step up from hand holding, and I didnt even have to use a hex. Don't expect me to say it again, though," Tharja spoke up.

He stayed silent, and they continued to rest as the night wore on. Maybe they were not in love, but they were pretty damn good friends.

And who knows? Maybe that would change, in time.

* * *

**... This seemed a lot cuter in my head, when I came up with it. As you can tell, I'm not that good at writing romance. *sigh* A girl can try, right? Not particularly happy with the end result, but I didn't know how to make it less choppy and awkward. I'll probably re-read another day and edit some stuff. Until then, I'll leave it like this.**

**I think the reason I chose this pairing to be first was because of my disappointment with their supports. Practically no romance, at all. She even says they'll be friends and companions. But what're ya gonna do, eh?**

**Stick around, it'll get better. I promise. Until next time.**

**-blacksunset1214**


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